Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
The resort opening was a colossal success!
They were booked to one hundred percent capacity, and it was like one big party that first week. Thanks to the connections they all had, they were able to garner a lot of press from various sources to cover the grand opening. They even made the national morning news shows.
Walker’s parents and grandparents came to celebrate with all of them, and now that they were fully open and things were running smoothly, it felt like a good time for just the core group to get together to celebrate.
Connor made a special dinner, and he, Walker, Axel, Slater, and Milo all met up in the owner’s suite.
With dinner on the table, Walker stood at the head of it with his glass raised.
“I was going to put Jayce and Kelsey on video for this, but they were both busy tonight. When they came to me with the idea for this—to save the Lakeview Harbor Resort—I kind of thought they were crazy. But there was a part of me that always wanted to do it.” He laughed softly.
“Obviously, I had other plans for it. Plans that you all talked me out of.”
“For the record, those plans weren’t ever going to work here,” Axel reminded him.
“Yeah, I know, but…that’s not the point.
The point I’m trying to make is that we all came together without really knowing anything about rebuilding a resort and yet…
we did it. You guys are seriously my best friends, and I am beyond thrilled that we could do this together.
I can’t imagine owning this place with anyone else.
” He raised his glass a little higher. “To us!”
“To us!” they all echoed.
Walker sat down, but Milo spoke up.
“You know we’re far from done, right?” he asked. “Yes, we’re open and had a great first week, but there’s a whole phase two that we still have to work on.”
Everyone groaned.
“Dude, can’t we just celebrate the here and now?” Slater asked. “We were on freaking TV this week! Hell, I think The Travel Channel is coming to do a feature on us next month. That’s huge!”
“And I get that, but just because the resort is open doesn’t mean we can sit back and relax. We’re just getting started.”
“Pfft…says the guy who never got his hands dirty,” Axel murmured teasingly.
“I think we’re all thankful that Milo didn’t get his hands on any of the power tools,” Slater joked. “God only knows if he’d have all his fingers and toes right now.”
“Okay, okay, no need to rub it in,” Milo countered good-naturedly. “And for what it’s worth, this next phase is going to have me here the most. I’m moving into my cabin officially for the next three months.”
They all looked at him with wide-eyed shock.
“When did you decide this?” Connor asked.
“I always knew it was going to happen, but I had to make sure things were set to run without me back in Seattle. I’m giving myself three months to get all the work done here and then hire someone to maintain it.”
“What’s going to take three months?” Slater asked. “We have all the electronics and Wi-Fi set up throughout the resort, along with security systems.”
“A lot of the security stuff was set without knowing what traffic patterns were going to be like once we had guests on site. Same with the Wi-Fi. We need to make sure everyone can get online without issue. Plus, I’m looking at some options for the entertainment venue.”
“Are we really going to do that?” Walker asked. “I thought we put a pin in it.”
“I think we need it,” Connor said. “Lexi’s gotten a lot of interest from not only local musicians, but once we made the news, she’s gotten calls from some bigger names. We have a small stage right now and just lawn seating, but it could be cool to build an outdoor amphitheater.”
They all agreed.
“Who’s funding that?” Axel asked. “And I know I put in my contribution in sweat equity, but with the resort up and running, I can’t be out there being hands-on with the construction.
Although, did you all see that I finished the private fire pit for our cabins?
I know the kids were psyched about it since they said it was too crowded by the ones the guests use. ”
“That was very cool of you, Axel,” Connor told him. “And yes, we saw it and we greatly appreciate it. You really didn’t have to do that. I hate that you took time away from actual resort business for it.”
But Axel waved him off. “Are you kidding me? It was easy to do. It’s not nearly as big as the resort ones, but it gets the job done.”
“Either way, it’s great. Thank you.” Then Connor looked at Milo. “I’m sorry, you were talking about the funding?”
“We had money set aside for it already,” Milo explained, “but we left it as a safety net for the rest of the resort construction. You know, in case we hit some major issues that we hadn’t counted on.
Plus, with the way the reservations are going, we’re going to need to offer more to our guests, so… now we can use it.”
“Damn, just when I thought we were done,” Walker said with amusement.
“You’re never done when you own a business,” Milo reminded him.
“You always have to maintain and improve and come up with ideas to keep growing. And—no offense—we need to learn from your grandparents because they are the blueprint for everything we need to avoid. If they had just kept up with the times, the resort never would have closed.”
“Yeah, but then we wouldn’t be here right now,” Slater reasoned.
“Very true.”
They all grew silent for several moments.
“What about you, Con?” Milo asked. “What are the plans for your restaurant in town?”
Smiling, he took a sip of his wine. “I promised Lexi and the kids that I would not work on it this summer. We’re focusing on building the house. The kids are in some of the camps here, and we’re going to take an actual week-long vacation in August.”
“Yeah, Lexi talked to me about that earlier today,” Slater said. “She’s kind of worried about taking the time off. I told her it was fine because we were so prepared before the actual opening. And even though the system we’re using is really helpful, we’re still going to hire her an assistant.”
That was news to him. “Really? She didn’t tell me.”
“Look, I know that she loves the job and she’s great at it, but you guys are planning a wedding, you’ve got kids, and I don’t want her to stress about it. Our activities department needs a lot of people, so what’s one more, right?”
“It’s kind of wild that we have this massive staff and everyone’s working their tails off,” Axel commented. “Maisie even jumped in to help this week at the front desk and the concierge. She’s kind of amazing like that.” His smile spoke volumes.
“When are you going to start planning that wedding?” Connor asked. “I would have thought you would have put a ring on her finger already.”
He shrugged. “It’s been kind of weird for me. She’s a freaking heiress, and I’ve got like…nothing. What kind of ring could I possibly get for her?”
“Dude, Maisie doesn’t strike me as the snobby type. As a matter of fact, I know she’s not. Have you talked to her about it?”
“Every damn day,” he said with a nervous laugh. “She’s always wanted a fairytale wedding, and with the situation with her parents, she knows she’s never going to get what she always dreamed of. And I hate that for her. I hate that I can’t give that to her.”
“I think if we all put our heads together—along with Harlow and Lexi—we could figure something out,” Connor said. “We’ll have to find time to get together and brainstorm.”
Slater let out a loud snort. “Look, I’m here for the activities. I’m no wedding planner, okay? You guys can all go and do your thing—no offense, Axel—but there’s nothing I can add to that conversation. Maybe Nora could, though.”
Now it was Milo’s turn to snort.
“Oh, for crying out loud, what is your problem with Nora?” Slater demanded.
“Let’s just say I hope she’s nicer to guests than she is to other people.”
“Other people?” Slater questioned. “Or just you? Because Nora’s never had a complaint from anyone about anything. She’s a phenomenal guide and person. So this sounds more like a you thing.”
Milo shrugged.
Connor had a feeling there was a lot more to this story, but he was in too good of a mood to do a deep dive into it.
As much as he was enjoying hanging out with the guys and celebrating, he really wanted to be back at the cabin with Lexi and the kids.
Next week, they were moving into a rental house in town—one that he had hired a team of inspectors to go in and check out first—and he was ready for them to have a little more space.
The kids were having a blast in the cabin, but he was getting tired of making love silently.
Because he loved making his beautiful girl scream.
Soon.
“Uh-oh,” Axel said. “He’s doing it again.”
Connor snapped out of his reverie when everyone laughed. “What? Who’s doing what?”
“You! You’ve got that goofy grin on your face again! Jeez,” Slater explained. “We get it. You and Lexi are happy now that you’re living together.”
“Do I smile like that?” Walker asked with amusement.
“Um, yeah. You do, and it irks me too,” Slater told him.
“I already know I grin like that whenever I think of Maisie, so…” And with that grin, Axel looked at Slater. “Admit it. You’re just jealous because we’re all in very satisfying relationships.”
“I’m not,” Milo said casually. “And that’s fine with me.”
“You’re too uptight for a relationship,” Slater said. “You’re married to your damn job. When was the last time you even went on a date or slept with a woman?”
The fact that he didn’t reply right away gave them all their answer.
“It’s none of your business. I can’t help it that my business is important to me and that I’m…selective with the women I date.”
“Or maybe you’re too uptight to get any woman to date you,” Slater murmured.
“That’s not even a little bit true,” Milo argued. “I’ve dated plenty of women, but most of them are more interested in my bank account and not me.”